Pinion shaft bearing



ay 1936.. A. J, PETERMAN 2,040,793

PINION 51mm BEARING Filed April 22,1935

5 202 I// IAN/14702:

WQPM new Patented Ma 12, 19st r 2,040,793 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,040,793 PINION snar'r BEARING Albert J. Peter-man, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Timken Roller Bearing Company, Can-- ton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 22, 1935, Serial No. 17,624

3 Claims. (Cl.'308-'201) My invention relates to the mounting of pinpart of the axle ho'using. The pinion shaft exion shafts and is especially applicable to the tends through the nosing 8 of the carrier; and I mounting of driving pinion shafts of automotive an antifriction bearing, preferably a double rollvehicles. Such shafts are very commonly made er bearing, is interposed between said shaft and with spiral bevel pinions' that ought to be accusuch nosing of th x hou in rately enmeshed with the spiral bevel ring gear The double roller bearing comprises two sets of the differential mechanism and firmly held or rows of conical rollers 9 arranged in a circuagainst endwis'e movement in either direction. 'lar Series betwe in r ay members l-Ieretofore these requirements have involved conmounted on the shaft l and an outer raceway 10 siderable diffloulties and expense. member ll mounted in a cylindrical bore pro- 10 The principal object of the present invention -.vided therefor in the housing nosing 9. T is to devise a simple and comparatively inexpeninner raceway members ill have conical raceway .sive pinion shaft mounting which is readily adsurfaces that taper toward each other and are Justable and which firmly holds the pinion shaft p o i e at th r la n wi annular rib or in adjusted position. The i ti n i t shoulders I! and are also preferably provided 15 principally in making th outer raceway with ribs l3 at the small ends of the raceway ber of the bearin of such mounting with a cirsu a a s H f a u ta typ are used cumferential flange, preferably in the form of a to Space the rollers 9 apart and p e O separate ring mounted on said member, an in the inner raceway member and the outer raceclamping said outer raceway member so that the way member serves both rows of rollers, that is, 20 shoulder formed by said flange is seated against it has two conical raceways that taper towards the housing nosing. The invention further ooneach rsists in the pinion shaft bearing and in the parts The outer end portion of t e Outer ra way and combinations and arrangements of parts member ll Projects beyond the end of the 0 1 hereinafter described and claimed. in in an s p v d w t a d d p'or- 25 In the accompanying drawing, which .forms o 15 of conical shape, i c i portio part of this specification, and wherein like reftapering toward Said housing and s l r e nd I erence'numerals refer to like parts wherever they being of substantially the same diameter as the occur, outer diameter of the body of said raceway mem Fig. 1 is longitudinal sectional View of her. Mounted on said outer raceway member is 30 portion of an automotive driving axle provided a two part or split p ring t avin a taperwith a pinion shaft bearing embodying my i ing bore 11 that fits the conical portion ,l5 of vention on the line l-l in Fig, 2; d said outer bearing member, the inner or rear end Fig. 2 is a vertical cr t on t line of said ring being seated against theshoulder I z z' in 1 on a reduced scale. is formed at the smaller end of said conical por- 35 The construction illustrated in the accomtlon- Interposed between S ring a the end panying drawing is a propeller or pinion shaft of the housing are shims l9 by means of which of an automotive vehicle with other parts closely the P on shaft I may be adjust d a y n associated therewith. The pinion shaft I has a Said housing to p p nm sh h pinion 2 with 40 spiral bevel pinion 2 integral therewith-and the the ring gear I. 40 face of the hub-at the large end of the bevel pin- A clamping plate or ring 0, whi h is se ur d ion constitutes a shoulder 3 that extends radialb screws a o otherwise o t e housin bears ly beyond the circumference of the adjacent poragainst theouter end of the u e aceway memtion of the shaft. One end of this shaft, hereinber II t hold it firmly against its conical sea after called the forward end, has a. member 4 I! in the split ring l6. Preferably one or more 45 splined thereon for operatively connecting it to a compressible gaskets 2| a i terp sed between motor (not shown) to be driven thereby. The the mar in of the plate 20 e d of said other end of the shaft hereinafter called the rear housing t Prevent leakage of Oil at this po n end, is mounted in a plain, ball or cylindrical roll- Y this arrangement, the Outer raceway member er bearing 5 provided therefor in -the differential is rigidly clampe in the housing in t endwise 50 carrier 6 of the axle housing. -The spiral b 1 movement, forward movement being prevented pinion 2 is located close to the rear end of the by closure plate 20 and rearward movement behaft I and mesheswith the spiral bevel gear 1 ing prevented by the engagement of the ring is of an ordinary diflerential mechanism (not with the shims IB'baoked by the forward end shown) mounted in the carrier 6 which forms of the housing nosing 8. I 56 As stated above, the two inner raceway members ID are disposed with their small ends toward each other. With this arrangement, the large end of the rear inner race'way member abuts against the shoulder 3 formed by the large end of the pinion 2, while the large end of the forward inner raceway member is disposed in abutting relation to the inner end of the member 4 splined on the front end portion of the shaft I. The bearing is adjusted by spacing members preferably in the form of a wide ring 22 and a plurality of t n shims 23 interposed between the small ends of the two inner raceway members I 0; and said inner raceway members and spacer members are clamped between the shoulder 3 at the large end of the gear 2 and the inner end of the member 4 by means of a nut 24 threaded on the front end of the shaft 2.

I The arrangement above described enables the pinion 2 to be positioned very accurately with respect to the ring gear 1 andthe bearing and enables the parts of the bearing to be very accurately adjusted with respect to one another. In addition to radial load, the bearing takes care of end thrust in both directions with substantially no endwise play. The circumferential flange formed by the ring H5 at the end of the outer'raceway member ll permits the firm clamping of said raceway member in place between the end plate 20 and the housing. The arrangement also eliminates the necessity for shouldering the bore in which the outer raceway member is mounted; and it also dispenses with the use of a separate carrier for said raceway member. The parts are easy to manufacture and to fit properly together. As the end of the outer raceway member extends beyond the housing it is feasible to make the clamping ring IS with a plain flat face, as distinguished from the ribs or other special devices used in this connection.

While I have described my invention as embodied in a pinion shaft providedwith an ordinary spiral bevel gear, it is applicable to other shafts that are subject to end thrust and I do not wish to be restricted to such bevel gear construction. For instance, instead of being equipped with the conventional spiral bevel gear, the shaft might be equipped with an ordinary bevel gear or with a hypoid gear or with a wonn gear. Likewise, while I have described my invention as embodied in bearings having two rows of rollers and balls, it is obviously applicable also to bearings with a single row of rollers or balls.

The rollers may be of any type that are suited to take care of both radial and axial load.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a shaft, a support having a bore, an antifriction bearing interposed be tween said shaft and said bore and including an inner raceway member on said shaft and an outer raceway member having a portion mounted in said bore and having a conical projecting portion tapering toward said support, a ring member having a tapering bore seated on said conical portion and overlapping the end of said support, and a member secured to said end of said support opposite the conical projecting portion of said outer raceway member and constituting an abutment therefor.

2. The combination of a shaft, a support having a cylindrical bore, a roller bearing interposed between said shaft and said bore and including an inner raceway member on said shaft and an outer raceway member having a cylindrical portion mounted in said bore and having a reduced conical projecting portion tapering toward said support, a ring member having a tapering bore a seated on said conical portion and overlapping the end of said support, an annular end closure plate secured to said end of said support opposite the conical projecting portion of said outer raceway member and constituting an abutment therefor, shims interposed between said end of said support and the inner end of said ring and compressible gaskets interposed between the opposing end faces of said support and said annular closure plate.

3. The combination of a shaft, 2. support having a bore, an interfriction bearing interposed between said shaft and said bore and including an inner raceway member on said shaft and an outer raceway member in said bore and having a portion projecting from the outer end thereof provided with a conical outer peripheral surface that tapers from the outer end of said raceway member toward said support, the diameter of the larger end of the conical portion of said outer raceway member being of substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the bore engaging portion of said outer raceway member, a ring having a tapering bore seated on said conical portion and overlapping said outer end of said support, and a member secured to said enddf said support opposite the conical projecting portion of said outer raceway member and constituting an abutment therefor.

ALBERT J. PETERMAN. 

